Street Punk

Much like a recent move by his friend and collaborator Nobunny, Seth Bogart's Hunx and his Punx make a sudden turn for a much more pointedly aggro sound with Street Punk. The versatile record also features Shannon and the Clams' Shannon Shaw.

Featured Tracks:

To date, one of Seth Bogart's great defining works is the 2010 Hunx and His Punx compilation Gay Singles. With its cover emblazoned with the visage of his greasy crotch sheathed in a zebra-print Speedo, the comp featured songs that were heavily indebted to girl groups. Bogart, aka Hunx, sang about wanting to kiss somebody who just ate Del Taco on the mouth, hangin' on the telephone, and wanting to get inside Rocky's pants. On some of those tracks, Hunx had songwriting assistance from Justin Champlin, the jovial masked madman Nobunny. To say the least, Champlin and Bogart's early works were a natural aesthetic match, and that connection carries over to Bogart's newest Hunx album, Street Punk.

Last year, Nobunny continued his streak of power pop gems with "La La La La Love You", but shortly after that single came out, he made a sudden turn for a much more pointedly aggro sound. And now, it seems that Seth Bogart has made a similar transition. After releasing last year's ballad-lined solo effort Hairdresser Blues and the girl group joy of Too Young to Be in Love, Bogart has reminded us why he calls them His Punx. Street Punk exhibits the same kind of shrugged off sneering, swearing, and intimidation as Nobunny's latest punk onslaught. Take "Everyone's a Pussy (Fuck You Dude)"-- a song that's exactly 30 seconds long-- a hard-hitting cut that has an all-intimidation bass riff on the low end and features exactly six angrily screamed words. That song is proof enough that Hunx and Nobunny are still on similar wavelengths, except now, the two men owe more to G.G. Allin than Phil Spector.

But while the Punx may have shifted into a tougher mentality, these tracks can still be genuinely funny. "Bad Skin" escalates things pretty quickly by threatening to "kill you with a knife". Why? Because they have bad skin. Perhaps the most sly track of the bunch is "You Think You're Tough", where the narrator makes a gradual transition from irrational anger ("I think you're gross") to the moment when they realize their disdain may actually be affection ("Oh no, what have I become? Am I in love?"). And like a lot of Hunx's romantic material, it's got a sweet sentiment, one not unlike Emma (Cher) arguing with Mr. Knightley (Paul Rudd) until she suddenly realizes her true feelings.

"You Think You're Tough" is a standout that also showcases the range of Street Punk, a track sung by Shannon Shaw of another great Oakland garage pop outfit Shannon and the Clams. On Too Young to Be in Love, Shannon sang back-up, and it's an extremely smart call to put her voice up front a few times. On Shannon and the Clams' LPs Dreams in the Rat House and Sleep Talk, Shaw and Cody Blanchard created a bubblegummy garage sound with a whole mess of bite. This album similarly finds strength in two voices, though Street Punk jumps from Bogart's nasal to Shaw's soulful rasp and back again. It's exactly what this album needs. With 12 short and fast punk tracks, it's nice to hear sonic shifts not only in tone and tempo, but also in its variety of voices.

Though closing track "It's Not Easy" goes on for nearly four minutes, the rest of Street Punk is appropriately brief. The whole album is just under 20 minutes long, which works well for this kind of thing. Bogart's lyrics, sense of humor, and ear for melody sound great in a bite-sized format. "Don't Call Me Fabulous", for example, is 25 seconds of enraged screams, and that's exactly the right amount of time for a track that's this loudly angry. Hunx's knack for efficient and fun brevity is a double-edged sword in its way, as the strength of Gay Singles could easily paint him as more of a singles guy than an artist who makes great full albums. Fortunately, Hunx's punk rock versatility has made Street Punk his most through-and-through entertaining full-length to date.